Symbols In Glass Managerie Essay Research Paper

Symbols In Glass Managerie Essay, Research Paper

Symbolism in The Glass Managerie

The Glass Managerie written by Tennessee Williams is a modern play that focuses on the personal experiences that a household goes through during the 1930? s depression. Tom serves as the storyteller and supporter. He lives at place with his ma, Amanda and his sister, Laura whom he supports by working in a show warehouse. Tom hates his occupation really much and invariably dreams of going a marine someday. Tom dislikes holding all these duties and continues to endeavor for escapade by traveling to films and sitting on the fire flight. Tom? s female parent, Amanda, is rather controlling and baffled. Her hubby left when the kids were really immature. Therefore it is difficult for her to get by at times and her overload of words belittles them. At some points, it seems as if Amanda finds it necessary to lie to her kids to do affairs better. Brown has noted that? if they lie to others, their major prevarication is to themselves? ( qtd. in 457 ) . Tom? s sister, Laura, suffers from a minor upset making jobs in separating the difference between world and phantasy. Due to this upset, Laura becomes really dependent on Tom and Amanda. Last, Jim O? Connor is one of Tom? s friends at the warehouse. He is different from all the other characters. He works really difficult and does his best to make his end of obtaining the American Dream. Jim acts as a guardian angel for the household, allowing them all know there is still hope in carry throughing their dreams. Tennessee Williams topographic points symbols around these characters that creates a assortment of attitudes but one focal point? endurance.

These symbols used in The Glass Managerie are highly interesting. The unicorn symbolizes Laura? s complexness and singularity, the image of Mr. Wingfield symbolizes a really dictating/strong influence on the household he deserted, and the casket fast one done by Malvolio symbolizes the overpowering breathtaking force per unit area that Tom sometimes experience refering his life style.

The unicorn symbolizes ways that Laura is unusual. The construction of the unicorn particularly the horn refers to ways that Laura is a unusual individual. Laura? s flight includes her glass managerie, listening to records on the Victrola, and sing the park and menagerie. Laura is able to place with the glass managerie because she has problem confronting the existent universe. The pieces are little and delicate merely like Laura feels she is. The Victrola is a reminder of her male parent, Mr. Wingfield. She plays records to acquire off from the present twenty-four hours state of affairss and reminiscence about the times she had with her male parent. When Laura stops traveling to Rubicam? s Business College, she would pass many a batch of her clip at the menagerie or park. She loved nature and thought that the menagerie and park were perfectly beautiful which was a deep contrast to her existent life. Laura? s emotional jobs cause many troubles in her life. While in high school, Laura was truly self-aware about the brace she has to have on. This is really evident while she talks to Jim:

? Yes it was difficult for me, acquiring upstairs. I had that brace on my leg? it clumped so loud! I ne’er heard any clip-clop. To me it sounded like? boom! Well, well, well, I ne’er even noticed. And everybody was seated before I came in? I had to travel cloping all the manner up the aisle with everyone watching! You shouldn? Ts have been self-aware. I know, but I was? ( Williams 1055 ) .

Laura suffered all the manner through high school. She scored really low on her concluding scrutinies and dropped out of school. After this failure, her self-esteem dropped from low to fundamentally nonexistent. She could non confront traveling back to school. Six old ages subsequently, with a batch of force per unit area signifier her ma, Amanda ; Laura tried to work towards finishing her instruction once more. She enrolled at Rubicam? s Business College. Laura merely made it to the first trial. When the trial began, Laura became nauseating, and vomited on the floor and had to be carried out and take to the bathroom. Laura ne’er returned to school, and one time once more her delicate emotions got the best of her. The crystal clarity of the unicorn represents the fact that jobs are easy evident to anyone who cares to detect them. This is best seen through Jim? s rating of her:

? You know what I judge to be the problem with you? Inferiority composite! ? Yep? that? s what I judge to be your chief problem. A deficiency of assurance in yourself as a individual. You wear? Ts have the proper sum of religion in yourself. I? m establishing that fact on a figure of your comments and besides on certain observations I? ve made? ( Williams 1056-

1057 ) .

Jim, a alien, was able to see good things through Laura and acknowledge her jobs. Although the unicorn is the most recognizable symbol in the drama, the portrayal of Mr. Wingfield besides serves as a meaningful symbol.

Mr. Wingfield? s image is an insignia of his influence on Amanda, Laura and Tom. First, the size of the portrayal suggests Mr. Wingfield? s strong clasp on Laura, even though he has been gone about 16 old ages. The? blown up? exposure emerges on the wall as a glooming reminder of him ( Williams 1033 ) . This truly distresses Laura, who is optimistic that her male parent will return someday. This is seeable when she plays the Victrola. The Victrola gives her pleasant ideas of her male parent. She thinks approximately when times were good and wants for that to take topographic point once more. The smile on Mr. Wingfield? s face reminds Amanda of the consequence his personality had on her life. His smile and good expressions are what attracted her to him. He had a batch of personal appeal and won Amanda? s bosom through physical attractive force, Amanda states: ? One thing your male parent had plentifulness of? was appeal! ( Williams 1037 ) . Amanda besides remembers the good times they shared when they were immature and wooing. She even still wishes that he would someday return. Unfortunately she doesn? t expression at the smile as being a pleasant mundane look from her hubby. She feels like the smile symbolizes her hubby laughing as a consequence of go forthing them. This is shown when Tom says: ? The last we heard of him was a image post card from Mazatlan, on the Pacific seashore of Mexico, incorporating a message of two words? ? Hello? Good pass! ? and no reference? ( Williams 1033 ) . Finally, Mr. Wingfield? s white unvarying mirrors Tom? s aspiration to go a Merchant Marine. Tom wants so severely to interrupt free of his deadening life and fulfill his desire for escapade. Tom uses the construct of demand to abandon as being familial: ? I? m like my male parent. The best asshole! ? ( Williams 1052 ) . Just like the image of Mr. Wingfield, Malvolio? s casket fast one besides shows symbolism throughout the drama.

Malvolio? s casket fast one is a item of Tom? s smothering life style. The first facet, Malvolio? s similarities with Tom, refers to each of their dangerous state of affairss. Malvolio faces actual decease by asphyxiation if he does non successfully get away the casket. Conversely, Tom faces nonliteral decease by emotional and religious asphyxiation if he does non happen a manner out of his present state of affairs. The casket, the 2nd facet, symbolizes the life style from which Tom is endeavoring to get away. Tom looks at his life as a & # 8220 ; two-by-four state of affairs & # 8221 ; ( Williams 1040 ) . He fears populating the following 55 old ages of his life working in the cellar of a warehouse, executing mundane undertakings, and doing a mere 65 dollars a month.

Although he loves his household, he can non digest the idea of passing the remainder of his life in a cramped flat, back uping his household, populating with the changeless concern of Laura? s wellbeing, and seting up with his female parent? s frequent nagging. The nails of the casket, its concluding aspect, represent Laura and Amanda. In his fast one, Malvolio escapes from the casket without upseting any of the nails ; nevertheless, Tom knows that that will be impossible for him: & # 8220 ; You know it wear? t take much intelligence to acquire yourself into a nailed up casket, Laura. But who in snake pit of all time got himself out of one without taking one nail? & # 8221 ; ( 1040 ) . Tom is smothering in his ain nonliteral casket, but for him to get away he must upset Laura and Amanda. Clearly, Malvolio? s flight from the casket was much easier than Tom? s flight from his life style will be.

However, Tennessee William? s modern drama, The Glass Managerie, contains well- developed signifiers of symbolism. It allows the reader to take normal points like: the unicorn, Mr. Wingfield? s portrayal, and Malvolio? s casket fast one and bind them to the characters in a assortment of ways. Tom seems to endure until he merely escapes merely as his male parent has done in the yesteryear. Laura is fundamentally where she began due to a grievous minute with Jim O? Connor. Amanda begins and ends the drama with the same purposes, overbearing concern. All three characters were different until Jim came into their lives. He wanted to make whatever it took to derive the American Dream. He talked with each household member and attempted to interrupt through and give him or her hope that they excessively could last by being a portion of the American Dream. Amanda, Laura and Tom all wanted something different in life but no affair how different their ideas were, a unicorn, portrayal and casket fast one tied them all to the cardinal factor for triumph? endurance.